1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a pipe hanger used to install a pipe to the ceiling or wall of a building. More particularly, the present invention is directed to provide a pipe hanger, in which lower ends of semicircular bands divided left and right are hooked and unhooked by a hooking means, and mounting plates integrally formed at the lower end of a supporting bracket are mounted to the mounting plates integrally formed at upper ends of the semicircular bands, thereby obtaining a damping effect on vibration or external impacts by providing a resiliently biasing means to the supporting bracket, readily locking or unlocking a locking plate, inserted into the mounting plate of each semicircular band and the mounting plates of the supporting bracket, to or from a locking assembly, and easily supporting the installed pipe by forming a hook of the lower end of the other-side semicircular band to expend beyond the vertical center line of the inner space defined by the semicircular bands.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typically, when various types of pipes used for a water supply pipe, a sewer pipe, an indoor pipe, and the like are installed on an installation plane such as the ceiling of a building, supporting reds are fixed to the installation plane at regular intervals, and a pipe hanger is mounted to a lower end of each supporting rod. Then, the pipe is installed such that it is retained by the pipe hanger.
FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate conventional pipe hangers 1-3 and 1-4, each of which is mounted to a support rod when a pipe is installed as described above.
The conventional pipe hanger 1-3 illustrated in FIG. 6 is disclosed in Korean Utility Model Publication Nos. 20-1990-0014681, 20-1994-0027123, 20-1995-0027946, 20-1997-0043463, and 20-1998-0003991, and Registration Nos. 20-190184 and 20-197233.
The pipe hanger has a pair of semicircular bands 2 and 3. The semicircular bands 2 and 3 are integrally formed with mounting plates 4 and 5, through which mounting holes 4-1 and 5-1 are bored, on upper ends thereof, and formed with a hooked claw 9 and a hooking hole 6 on lower ends thereof. The mounting plates 4 and 5 of the semicircular bands 2 and 3 are fastened to mounting plates 11, which are formed on opposite lower ends of a supporting bracket 10 and through which a mounting hole 11-1 is bored, by a fastening means such as a bolt 12 and nut 12-1. A supporting rod is fastened to a nut block 13 coupled on an upper portion of the supporting bracket 10.
When a pipe is installed using the conventional pipe hanger 1-3 constructed in this way, the semicircular band 3 is separated from the other semicircular band 2 by unfastening the nut 12-1 from the bolt 12, which is fastened to the mounting plates 4 and 5 of the semicircular bands 2 and 3 and the mounting plate 11 of the supporting bracket 10. The pipe is inserted between the stationary semicircular band 2 and the free semicircular band 3. In this state, a hooked claw 9 is hooked on a hooking hole 6 while the pipe is supported by hand so as not to escape from the stationary band. Then, the bolt 12 is inserted into the mounting hole 5-1 bored through the mounting plate 5. In this state, the nut 12-1 is screwed on an end of the bolt 12 protruding outwardly through the mounting plate 5. For this reason, the installation is very complicated. Further, because the semicircular band 2 has the shape of a complete semicircle having one end located on a vertical line, the semicircular band 3 should be fastened while the pipe placed on an inner surface of the semicircular band 3 is supported so as not to fall down. Hence, the pipe cannot be readily installed.
The nut 12-1 screwed onto the bolt 12 via the mounting plates 4, 5 and 11 becomes loose by means of vibration, thereby weakening clamping force between the nut and bolt with respect to the pipe.
FIG. 7 illustrates another conventional pipe hanger 1-4, which is disclosed in Korean Utility Model, Registration Nos. 20-0184219 and 20-0414911.
The conventional pipe hanger 1-4 is adapted to couple and decouple a semicircular lower band 50 to and from an angled upper band 40.
Among diametrically opposite ends of the upper band 40, one end has a hooking hole 43 punched out thereof, and the other end is integrally formed with an extension 41, from which hooked claws 42 protrude outwardly. Among diametrically opposite ends of the semicircular lower band 50, one end is formed with a hooked piece 59 so as to be hooked into and unhooked from the hooking hole 43, and the other end has vertical and horizontal fitting holes 52 and 53 punched out thereof. The other end of the semicircular lower band 50 is integrally formed with a C-shaped flange 51, which is provided with spring retainer recesses 51-1 on opposite ends thereof, and in an enclosed lower space of which a retaining piece 54 is disposed so as to retain the hocked claws 42 of the upper band 40 which are inserted (or coupled) through the vertical fitting hole 52. The retaining piece 54 is provided with a fitting recess 55 and a fitted nose 56 at the rear and front thereof respectively, and with spring retainer recesses 54-1 and support protrusions 57 at the front and rear of opposite longitudinal ends thereof. Accordingly, the retaining piece 54 can be coupled and decoupled to and from the C-shaped flange 51 by fitting an annular coil spring 58 into the spring retainer recesses 51-1 and 54-1.
However, in order to install the pipe, the lower band 50 is decoupled from the upper band 40. Then, the decoupled lower band 50 is contacted with an outer surface of the pipe, and the hooked piece 59 is hooked into the hooking hole 43. The C-shaped flange 51 of the lower band 50 moves upward, and then the hooked claws 42 are inserted into the vertical fitting hole 52. The retaining piece 54 is coupled to the extension 41 in the enclosed lower space of the C-shaped flange 51 in such a manner that the hooked claws 42 inserted into the fitting recess 55 are hooked on a bottom surface of the retaining piece 54, that the fitted nose 56 of the retaining piece 54 is inserted into the horizontal fitting hole 53, and that the opposite support protrusions 57 protrude upwardly on opposite sides of the C-shaped flange 51. The annular coil spring 58 is supported in the recesses of the C-shaped flange 51 and the retaining piece 54. As such, the installation of the pipe is very complicated, and the pipe should be installed while being supported, so that it cannot be readily installed. Further, because it takes much time to install the pipe, working efficiency is lowered. Because the retaining piece 54 and the annular coil spring 58 are discrete components, at least one of them may be lost, which would make it impossible to install the pipe.
Besides, these conventional pipe hangers 1-4 and 1-5 are constructed such that the nut blocks 13 and 44, which are coupled to the upper surfaces of the supporting bracket 10 and the upper band 40 respectively, rotate freely. Hence, the pipe hanger vibrates and is rotated by external impacts, so that the supporting rod is gradually unfastened from the nut block, thereby being reduced in its ability to fully support the pipe.
Further, at upper and lower ends of a hollow body 13-1, on an upper surface of which the nut block 13 mounted at the upper surface of the supporting bracket 10 is inserted, flanges 13-3 and 13-4 are integrally formed inside and outside the upper surface and retained at the upper surface. Hence, when being subjected to vibration due to external impacts or earthquakes, the pipe hanger does not dampen (prevent) the vibration. As a result, there occurs deformation between the supporting rod 60 and the supporting bracket 10 supporting the weight of the pipe. Furthermore, when such vibration is strong, the pipe is twisted or separated from the pipe hanger.